Wheldon Charges To Win Irl Race

AUTO RACING - The Beat

June 27, 2004

Dan Wheldon came from the back of the pack and held off Helio Castroneves in a one-lap sprint to the finish to win the Indy Racing League's SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on Saturday night.

Wheldon, who started 20th, led Vitor Meira and Castroneves coming out of a caution period with a lap remaining and managed to outsprint Castroneves in the final turn. Wheldon, who won in Japan earlier this year, took advantage of a late crash involving two of the early leaders to move up the grid.

IRL officials later disallowed Castroneves' pass of Meira because the track lights didn't change from yellow to green in the final lap. Meira finished second in the official results and Castroneves was third.

The race turned on a crash involving Sam Hornish Jr. and Tomas Scheckter on lap 187. Hornish tried to pass Scheckter on the outside of the second turn and clipped his front wheel, sending Hornish into a slow 360. Hornish, who led for 76 laps at the start of the race, was able to continue but fell to 16th position.

PENSKE SEEKS UNIFICATION

Car owner Roger Penske would prefer one American open-wheel racing circuit and might try to broker a deal between Champ Car and the IRL. Penske met last week with the principal owners of Champ Car, and IRL officials expect him to talk to IRL president Tony George. No formal meeting about a reunification has been scheduled.

The IRL and Champ Car's predecessor, CART, split in 1996. Penske moved his open-wheel operation from CART to the IRL in 2002.

The IRL has struggled to sell out many of its races since the split and has struggled with TV ratings. Champ Car has struggled for its financial life. CART lost nearly $78 million in the first nine months of 2003 and declared bankruptcy in December 2003.

If two rival series are to reunite, it probably won't happen soon. Both are midway through their 2004 schedules, and Champ Car President Dick Eidswick said he hopes to announce the series' 2005 schedule next month.